Refrigerating apparatus



April 30, 1957 O. v. sAuNDERs ET A1. 2,790,696

REFRAGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ./f' 1: o m l(1N ENTo .n J B'YCf-l Pahwftz THE/R ATTORNEY.

April 30, 1957 o. v. sAUNDERs ET AL 2,790,696

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oman V Ig'w'fs BY :E @thu/i12 2.,?. GMM.

THE/R ATTORNEY.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Urson V. Saunders and Carl F. Petkwitz, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 27, 1955, Serial No. 536,804

8 Claims. (Cl. S12-351) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to a novel arrangement for supporting shelves in a food storage compartment of a refrigenator cabinet.

lt has been the practice to employ spring clips interposed between a shelf and its support in a food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet to hold the shelf in place during shipment of the cabinet. Such spring clips were removed at the point of instauration of the refrigerator and thrown away Ithus wasting material. More recently refrigerator shelves have been taped to their supports and the tape removed at the point of installation. In either event the shelves are usually left loosely supported 'on their supports in the -food storage compartment so as to permit removal thereof from the compartment for cleaning purposes. A shelf when loosely mounted on its supports is frequently displaced or accidentally raised therefrom particularly at the front of the food compartment during the act of removing food products from another shelf therebelow. We contemplate the provision of a shelf and supporting means therefor in a refrigerator cabinet which removably locks the shelf to its supports automatically in response to initially moving the shelf into supported position in the food storage compartment of the cabinet.

An object of our invention is to provide an improved low cost shelf and supporting means therefor in a food storage compartment of a refrigenator cabinet.

Another object of our invention is to provide a shelf and improved means to supporting same from walls of a food storage compartment of la refrigerator cabinet which is of such design or character as to yieldingly lock the shelf on its supports to thereby eliminate the necessity of employing separate means such as hold down spring clips or taping the shelf to its supports during shipment of a refrigerator.

A further object of 'our invention is to provide a shee metal shelf and supporting means therefor `in a refrigerator which shelf has an integral resilient flange on one side thereof flexed by moving the shelf into the food cornpartment of Ithe refrigerator into supported position on its supports to wedge the shelf between the supports and yieldingly lock same thereto.

In carrying ont the foregoing objects it is lastill further and a more specific object of our invention to provide a support in the food compartment of a refrigerator cabinet with means thereon adapted to be engaged by Ian integral resilient flange on one or the black side of a sheet metal shelf for flexing the llange in response 'to or as the shelf is moved onto the support for permitting the front side or lan edge portion thereon to be moved under a hook part of another spaced support which means thereafter maintains the flange flexed to yeldingly wedge the shelf between the supports and removably lock the salme thereto.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be `apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

niredf States PatentOg" ,d 2,790,696 Patented Apr. 30, 1957 In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet with a door thereof in open position showing shelves supported in the food compartment in accordance of 'our invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken horizontal sectional View :taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing a shelf mounted on supports secured to Walls lof the food complartment of the refrigerator cabinet in our improved fashion;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 showing a sheet metal shelf yieldingly and removably supported on shelf supports by having a flange along one side `of the shelf flexed;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 3 showing the shelf on one of its supports; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a shelf manipulated into an angular position for assembly into or removal from the food compartment.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings we show a refrigenator cabinet of the household type generally represented by the reference characters 10. Cabinet 10 may be of any suitable or conventional construction and as herein disclosed includes an outer metal shell or housing 11 having an opening in the front thereof. A back wall 12 (see Figure 2) is welded or otherwise suitably secured to shell il to complete the outer Wall structure of the cabinet. A metal liner 13 within and spaced from shell 11 forms the top, bottom, upright back and opposed side walls of a food storage compartment 14 within cabinet 1t?. Insulation of any suitable or desirable material' (see Figure 2) is :disposed in the space between liner 13 and cabinet shell or housing l1. The liner 13 has its front edge portion spaced from and secured to the front edge portion of shell 11 by any suitable 'or conventional insulating breaker trim strip structure as is well known to those skilled in the art. An insulated door structure v17 hinge'dly mounted upon cabinet 10, for pivotal swinging movement relative thereto, normally closes the front Opening in the cabinet and affords access to the interior of compartment 14. A closed refrigeratin-g system associated with cabinet 10 includes a refrigerant translating 'device (not shown) located in a machine compartment below food compartment 14 and an evaporator 19 mounted within the upper part of the compartment 14 for cooling land causing circulation of air therein.

A plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontally disposed shelves, generally represented by the reference numeral 20, are mounted in the compartment 14 and supported therein, in a manner to be hereafter described, for receiving and supporting food products in the refrigerated compartment. Each of the shelves 20 is formed or fabricated by stamping or punching the same from a flat sheet of aluminum alloy preferably having the property of being resilient and capable of being flexed. In the fabricating operation performed on the aluminum sheetspaced openings or reticulations 21 are punched in the' flat food supporting surface or portion 22 ofthe shelf. The openings or perforations 21 permit air `to llow through the shelves 20 and to circulate throughout the interior of the refrigerated compartment 14 of cabinet 10. Due to the great unsupported length of the shelves 20 the thin gauge sheet metal shelf may bow or sag under the weight of food products placed thereon. n order to prevent bowing of shelves 20 the front side thereof is strengthened by bending or rolling over the material thereat as indicated as 23 (see Figures 3 and 5 to provide a rim there along. In order to accomplish the object of the present invention, as will be hereinafter described, and to augment the increasing of the structural strength of shelves 20 by the rim 23 the back part or side thereof is bent upwardly to provide an integral upstanding or upturned flange indicated at 24. Flange 24 is resilient and is capable of being flexed along the length thereof in a direction subsequently paralleling the plane of the food supporting portion or 'surface 22 of a shelf 20.

Each shelf 20 is supported within the food storage compartment 14 of cabinet 10 upon pegs or shelf supports certain of which are of improved form or construetion. The forward side of a shelf 20 is provided with an edge which may be in the form of an off-set portion and is preferably an edge provided by a wall of round openings 26 punched or cut therein adjacent the front thereof (see Figures 2 and 3), The front part of a shelf 20 has its food receiving portion 22 resting on a ilat shelf supporting ledge 27 provided on a peg on support 28. There are two such supports 28 which are secured to the front portion of opposed upright side walls of food compartment 14 in a manner to be hereinafter described. The openings 26 in the shelf 20 slip over a head or hook part 29 on supports 28 and the edge or wall at the openings 26 are slid or moved into engagement with a wall of a grooved or reduced portion 31 provided on the supports 28 and located between the shelf supporting ledge 27 and the head or hook part 29 thereof. The rear portion of a shelf 20 is received in and supported by a pair of spaced apart pegs or supports, generally represented by the reference numeral 33, secured to the upright back wall of compartment liner 13 in any suitable or desirable manner. These supports 33, as well as supports 28, may be fabricated from any light weight metal but are preferably formed of molded plastic material. Each support 33 includes a rear main body portion 34 having a threaded shank attaching portion 36 projecting rearwardly therefrom through a hole provided in the back wall of liner 13 and screwed into a tapped hole provided in a lug 37. The lugs 37 may be spot welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the outer surface of liner 13 prior to painting or porcelain enameling at least the interior surfaces of the liner, Suitable shims or washers or the like may, if desired, be placed between the back portion 34 of a support 33 and liner 13 to insure tgihtening of the support in the proper position as shown. It is to be understood that the shelf supports 28 `on the opposite side walls of compartment 14 may be secured to liner 13 in the same manner as supports 33 are fastened to the liner.` Each support or peg 33 has an integral flat shelf supporting ledge 38 extending inwardly from the body part 34 thereof and disposed substantially in the same horizontal plane with the ledge 27 on the side supports 28. Each support 33 also has an upper ledge portion 39 extending inwardly of the rear portion 34 thereof, and spaced from the lower shelf ledge portions 38. Ledge 39 overlaps a part of the shelf supporting ledge 38. Each of the supports 33 are further provided with a means, integral boss or projection 41 which extends beyond the inner face of the body portion 34 thereof and is adapted to be engaged or abutted by the flange 24 on a shelf 20 while its rear corner portion, intermediate tlange 24 and the flat part 22, rests on the ledge 38. It will be noted that the shelf 20 is wedged between the supports 28 and 33 and is yieldingly held removably locked to the supports. The lug or projecting means 41 on supports 33 maintain the flange flexed at one or more points therealong as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings to push the front edge of the shelf 20 or wall edge portion of opening 26 under the hook part 29 of the forward supports 28. The upper ledge 39 is disposed above the top of flange 24 and prevents displacement of the rear part of shelf 20 upwardly from supports 33. Thus the shelf 20 is removable and yieldingly locked in supported position within compartment 14 on the plurality of supports 28 and 33 against accidental removal therefrom.` This locking of a shelf 20 is accomplished by initially moving same into supported position and the yielding means or tlexedzilange 24 eliminates the employment of spring clips for holding the shelf on the support during shipment of a vtive thereto.

refrigerator cabinet and dispenses with the necessary of taping the shelf to the supports. The yielding means in the present disclosure remains effective after installation of a refrigerator cabinet to thereby prevent vibrations of a shelf during operation of the refrigerating system associated with the cabinet and consequently noises resulting from such vibration.

A shelf 20 of the present disclosure is moved or assembled into the food compartment 14 of cabinet 10 into supported position on the supports 28 and 33 by holding the shelf at an acute angle with respect of the horizontal while moving it into the compartment and its rear corner is placed on the ledge 38 of supports 33 (see Figure 5). The flange 24 engages or abut against the projecting portion or means 41 on supports 33 and then a force is applied to the front of shelf 2t) to push the same rearwardly, along the ledges 38, whereby the resilient flange 24 on the shelf is distorted or tlexed for permitting further rearward movement of the shelf. This further rearward movement of shelf 20 is throughout a distance sufficient to enable a front edge part of the shelf or the wall edge portion of openings 26 therein to clear and be moved downwardly over the head or hook part 29 of the forward supports 28. Force applied to the shelf is now released and the flexure of flange 24 springingly shifts the shelf 20 forwardly to cause the front edge of the shelf or a wall portion of openings 26 therein to slide under the hook part 29 of pegs or supports 28 into abutment with the shank or reduced grooved-like portion 31 of these supports. The distance between the projection 41 on supports 33 and the reduced shank part 31 on supports 28 is less than the distance between the wall of openings 26 in a shelf 20 and the rear surface of flange 24 thereon and consequently the flange 24 remains flexed after the shelf engages the forward supports 28. Thus this method of retaining the flange 24 on a shelf 2t) under t'lexure removably locks a shelf in supporting position on the sets of supports 28 and 33. The steps in the procedure described for assembling the shelfis reversed when a shelf 20 is to be removed from its supports.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a simple and inexpensive sheet metal shelf supporting arrangement in a refrigerator cabinet wherein thc shelf is yieldingly wedged between its supports and removably locked thereon against vertical movement rela- The arrangement is such that the shelf is prevented from being accidentally displaced from its supports but can be readily detached therefrom and removed from the refrigerator cabinet for cleaning same and the interior of the food storage compartment and/or for mounting the shelf on other vertically spaced apart supports to adjust its height in the compartment. By yieldw ingly or springingly holding the shelf in place on its supports the refrigerator cabinet may be shipped without danger of the shelves therein being jarred loose from its supports and marring or damaging the finish on walls of the food compartment while at the same time eliminating the use of extra or separate spring clips or thc like for this purpose.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

l. In a refrigerator having walls forming a food sterv age compartment therein, a plurality of shelf supports on different walls of said compartment, a sheet metal shelf having an integral resilient flange extending along one side thereof, said shelf being movable into said compartment in supported position on said supports, and means engageable by the resilient flange on said shelf upon moving the shelf into its supported position for flexing said flange and yieldingly wedging the shelf between said supports.

2. In a refrigerator having walls forming a food storarcanes age compartment therein, a irst shelf support on the rear wall of said compartment, a second shelf support on another wall of said compartment, said second shelf support having a hook part thereon, a sheet metal shelf having an integral resilient flange at its back side and an edge portion at its opposite side, said shelf being movable into said compartment in supported position on said supports with said edge portion thereof tting under said hook part of said second support, and means on said tirst shelf support engageable by the resilient flange on said shelf upon moving the shelf into its supported position for flexing said flange and yieldingly holding said edge portion of the shelf under the hook part of said second support.

3. A shelf and supporting means therefor comprising, a plurality of spaced apart supports and a sheet metal shelf member, said shelf member having an integral resilient flange at one side thereof and an edge portion at its opposite side, one of said supports having a portion thereon adapted to be engaged by the flange on said shelf member and another of said supports having a hook part, said shelf member being movable onto said one support with its flange abutting and being flexed by said portion thereof whereby said edge portion at the opposite side of said member clears the hook part of said another support and is shiftable thereunder, and said portion of said one support thereafter maintaining the flange on said shelf member llexed to wedge fthe member between said supports and yieldingly hold said edge portion thereof under the hook part of said another support.

4. A shelf and supporting means therefor comprising, a plurality of horizontally aligned spaced apart supports and a sheet metal shelf member, said shelf member having an integral resilient flange extending along one side thereof and an opening adjacent its opposite side, one of said supports having a portion thereon adapted to be engaged by the flange on said shelf member and another of said supports having a hook part, said shelf member being movable onto said one support at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal with its flange abutting and being exed by said portion thereon whereby said opening adjacent the opposite side of said member clears the hook part of said another support and is shiftable downwardly thereover to hook a wall thereof thereunder, and said portion of said one support thereafter maintaining the flange on said shelf member flexed to Wedge the member between said supports and yieldingly hold the wall of said opening under the hook part of said another support.

5. In a refrigerator, a plurality of walls forming a food storage compartment therein, a shelf support secured to the front portion of each of the opposed side walls of said compartment, a pair of shelf supports secured to the back wall of said compartment, a reticulated sheet metal shelf having a back side and a front side, an integral resilient flange along the back side of said shelf, said shelf being movable into said compartment with its back side supported on said pair of supports and its front side supported on the supports secured to said opposed walls of said compartment, and means on each of said pair of supports engageable by the flange on said shelf upon moving the shelf into its supported position for flexing said flange and yieldingly locking the shelf to said supports.

6. In a refrigerator having walls forming a food storage compartment therein, a plurality of supports on different walls of said compartment, at least one of said supports having a projection above the shelf supporting portion thereof, a sheet metal shelf having an integral resilient [lange at one side thereof, said shelf being movable into said compartment in supported position on said supports, and the flange on said shelf being llexed by said projection in response to moving the shelf into supported position on said supports for yieldingly wedging the shelf therebetween.

7. In a refrigerator, a plurality of walls forming a food storage compartment therein, a support secured to the front portion of each of the opposed side walls of said compartment, a support secured to the back wall of said compartment, each of said supports having a shelf receiving and supporting portion disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane, said supports on the opposed side walls of said compartment being provided with a hook part above the shelf supporting portion thereof, the support on the back wall of said compartment being provided with a projection disposed above the shelf supporting portion thereof, a sheet metal shelf having an integral resilient upstanding llange on one side thereof and an edge portion at its opposite side, said ilanged side of said shelf being movable into said compartment in supported position on said shelf supporting portion of said support on the back wall thereof with said flange abutting said projection, said llange being flexed by said projection to move the edge portion at said opposite side of the shelf under the hook part of said supports on opposed side walls of said compartment, and said projection thereafter maintaining the flange flexed to yieldingly hold said edge portion of the opposite side of said shelf under the hook part of said supports on the opposed side walls of said compartment for preventing upward movement of the shelf relative thereto.

8. In a cabinet having walls forming a compartment therein, shelf supports on walls of said compartment arranged in spaced apart opposed relationship, a shelf provided with a supporting surface and a resilient portion coextensive with one side of said supporting surface thereof, said shelf being movable into said compartment in association with said supports, and means engageable by the resilient side portion of said shelf upon moving same into supported position on said supports for flexing said shelf portion and yieldingly wedging the shelf between said opposed supports.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 1,393,012 Dilg Oct. 11, 1921 1,872,429 Eaglesileld Aug. 16, 1932 2,570,097 Carbary Oct. 2, 1951 2,735,741 Laben Feb. 21, 1956 

